Community Based Programs

•  If you are 14 or older and charged with or convicted of certain serious offenses, this information will be given to the principal of your school.

• If you are 14 or older and convicted of a felony, the court records can be open to the public.

• If you are 14 or older and convicted of a felony in the juvenile court, your record will be kept by the Juvenile Court. If you are convicted of a felony as an adult, your juvenile record will be used by the Circuit Court to decide your adult sentence.

Intensive Case Management Program -- The Intensive Case Management Program provides personalized services to court-involved youth, with emphasis on the CHINS population, and links youth and families to parenting programs, mentors, employment, health services, recreation, tutors, anger management courses and community services, based on need.

Parenting with Love and Limits -- "Parenting with Love and Limits," a curriculum developed by the Savannah Family Institute, provides intensive, practical skill-building sessions to parents and their court-involved youth over the course of six weeks. The purpose of the program is to encourage parental involvement in the probation process. The curriculum covers topics such as: elements of teenager misbehavior, communication skills, limit setting, behavior contract development, parent rights, and community resources.

Shoplifter's Alternative ...33percent of juveniles say it is hard for them to stop shoplifting even after getting caught. -- The Youth Educational Shoplifting Program (YES) works with first-time juveniles arrested on shoplifting charges. Participants complete a 6-hour 'offense-specific' home study kit, which includes compact discs and a workbook. They attend a 7-8 hour classroom session, sponsored by Target Store at Potomac Yard. The class is taught in cooperation with Target's Asset Protection Team members and includes speakers, a tour of Target's security system and a life-like Target video, "Got Caught: Now What?"

A Space of Her Own, SOHO (Girls mentoring program) -- Girls that live in low-income housing and are identified as 'at-risk' are matched with adult female mentors who work with them to complete art and design classes, creating hope chests, personalized thrones, lamp shades, floor cloths, etc. The program is loosely based on the popular television show, 'Trading Spaces'. Upon completion of the art course work, girls and mentors work on teams to remodel each other's personal space in the home.

Education Support Program -- This program provides accountability, juvenile justice education, academic support, life skills and anger management instruction to those court-involved students who have been suspended from school and have been offered no other educational alternatives.

Seaport Foundation -- Through a cooperative federal grant with our Court Service Unit, the Seaport Foundation works to develop job skills by training juvenile delinquents as boat building apprentices, at a salary of $7-$8/hour. Participants receive assistance in obtaining high school diplomas, GED, career-track training and jobs based on individual needs and interests. Of the participants, 95% of youth that have successfully completed the program have had no further criminal involvement.

United We Sail -- This is an entrepreneurial program run by youth for youth. Toy boat kits are sold by young salespersons; boats are assembled by young children with the assistance of teen 'master boat builders' and then sailed in a man-made pond under the supervision of 'water safety patrol.' This program is for youth who are too young for regular employment but are in need of structured supervision during evening and weekend hours. Participants obtain passes and bus tokens to attend movies, the wave pool, batting cages and miniature golf as a reward for their work.

Wilderness Education -- The Court Service Unit offers six multi-day wilderness education trips per year. Trips provide challenging experiences by testing physical, mental and emotional limits while offering ongoing counseling support. This program promotes self-reliance, teamwork, environmental stewardship, self-confidence, responsibility and compassion. Backpacking trips along the Appalachian Trail and visits to Camp New Hope in Natural Bridge, VA, provide participants with challenging life experiences that are then brought back into the Court Service Unit setting and used to promote positive behavior change.

iMentor Program (Boys mentor program) -- This program is based at Hammond Middle school and is offered to 5th grade boys interested in film making. Boys are paired up with a male mentor and they work together after school to create a film about an important event or person connected to the City of Alexandria with the assistance of an expert from the Apple computer company. Participants are referred by the school staff.

Conflict Resolution -- Assault arrests among Alexandria youth are disturbingly high. In order to address that issue, the Court Service Unit provides courses in anger management to court-involved youth. These classes are offered via the Day Reporting Program, Interim Education Program, Education Support Program as well as after school and during summer months.

City's Gang Prevention and Intervention Initiative -- The City’s Gang Prevention and Intervention Coordinator is housed at the Court Service Unit and provides a multitude of resources for parents and youth who are interested in staying out of gang life. Contact the Court Service Unit for information on this initiative.

Neighborhood-based Probation -- This program was developed in the early 90's to create a more visible presence of probation officers in targeted communities throughout the city. The probation officer was assigned a geographical location and provided a high degree of contact and family interaction with juveniles already placed on probation. Additionally, the probation officer worked closely with residential police officers, community and civic organizations and recreation within that community. Prevention efforts with younger siblings and at-risk youth in the community were also linked with services and after-school activities. In the last few years, the Neighborhood-based probation officer has been assigned to the Arlandria community.